


Fukaze Week 2021

by wafumayo



Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven GO, Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Childhood, First Kiss, Friends With Benefits, Humor, M/M, Mild Language, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29153136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafumayo/pseuds/wafumayo
Summary: Day #1: Childhood Friends/Promise (Pre-Series, Humour)Day #2: First Kiss (OG S3, Humour)Day #3: Video Games (Ares, Humour)Day #4: Soulmates (GO, Angst, please read warning)
Relationships: Fudou Akio & Kazemaru Ichirouta, Fudou Akio/Kazemaru Ichirouta
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Childhood Friends/Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How about this," Fudou says and he skillfully kicks the soccer ball into the air, catching it with one hand. "Why don't we play a quick soccer match? A one-on-one. I can be the defence. If you can score a goal against me, I'll apologize for saying a bad word. But if you can't, then I'll say all the bad words that I know, and trust me, I know a lot."
> 
> "That's stupid," Kazemaru says. "There's nothing in it for me at all."
> 
> OR
> 
> In elementary school, Kazemaru meets a mysterious crude boy in the park and realizes how exciting soccer can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Fukaze Week Day #1: Promise/Childhood Friends
> 
> No beta, we die like Sakuma Jirou using the Emperor Penguin No. 1
> 
> I'm late because I kept procrastinating...! And if I knew in advance that it was Kazemaru's birthday, I would have written something a little cuter haha.

Kazemaru kicks his legs as he gazes up at the sky. Though he is balanced quite precariously at the top of the jungle gym, there is no sense of danger in his bored expression.

Normally, he visits the park with Endou. He did, actually, make plans to do so with Endou several days earlier, but when he dropped by to pick Endou up, he was greeted by Mrs. Endou, who gave him an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, Ichirouta. Mamoru was invited to play soccer and he left. If I knew that he'd made plans with you first, I would have stopped him..."

"Ah, it's alright," Kazemaru said hurriedly. Mrs. Endou's expression does not clear, so he added, "He does this quite often. I'm used to it by now."

He really meant it — he can see Endou any time, but Endou can't always gather enough people to play soccer. A part of him _is_ a little upset that Endou did not wait for Kazemaru's arrival to invite him along with the group, but knowing Endou, it probably slipped his mind at the moment. Kazemaru should have sent him a text the day before, reminding him of their plans.

Despite Kazemaru's words, Mrs. Endou still looked unhappy. "Wait here," she said and Kazemaru nodded. She hurried away, disappearing into the kitchen, but she was not gone for very long. When she came out, she held in her hands a small pink box. "Here you go, Ichirouta."

He accepted the proffered box from her and tilted his head to the side. "What's inside?"

"Oh, some doughnuts," Mrs. Endou said. "I bought them for Mamoru to eat after he comes home today but you can have them." She winked, and Kazemaru smiled nervously.

It was probably meant to be a punishment for Endou. Kazemaru could just imagine the look of shock and horror on Endou's face when he finds out that not only did he forget his promise with Kazemaru, but he also lost his doughnut rights.

_I'll just give it to him later._

There was nothing for Kazemaru to do. He did all of his homework in advance, expecting that he would be playing with Endou all day, and he is not the type of person who can call someone up on short notice and ask if they want to hang out. He walked to the park, expecting to see Endou's group playing soccer there, but they must have went to an actual field, because no one save for a kid with an odd haircut had a soccer ball.

 _He's good_.

His time with Endou has given Kazemaru some fair insight into soccer. Obviously, he is not an expert and he has only really observed Endou's play style, but even he can tell that the kid was good. He dribbled the ball effortlessly with his feet and knees, juggling it like it's a third limb. He kicked it over his head, chested it, and then continued to bounce it on his knee. It was not flashy, but the absolute control he displayed was more impressive than any of the hissatsu techniques that Endou tries to do.

Despite the boy's dexterity, there was no joy or excitement on his face. Only a fierce and icy concentration. It was like watching someone practice swinging a shinai for hours on end — impressive, for sure, but dull.

Kazemaru tore his eyes away and clambered onto the jungle gym, moving the carton of doughnuts from right hand to left hand whenever he needed to, carefully making sure that he did not squish it. Maybe he'll eat the doughnuts while enjoying the view at the top of the jungle gym, and then play on the swings after, and then go home. His day outside will end earlier than expected, but there's no helping that. Hopefully, Endou will drop by before Kazemaru has to go to bed.

He does not know how long he sits on the jungle gym for, lost in thought. He has not been thinking about anything in particular outside of his plans for the day and tracing the shapes of the clouds in the sky. He absentmindedly opens up the carton and glances inside; three doughnuts, covered in glaze, sit neatly in a row. He picks one up and is about to bite into it when he feels a sudden pain at the side of his head.

Kazemaru yelps, more out of shock than anything, and it's only due to his innate fast reflexes that he does not tumble head-first onto the gravel, gripping the bars with the jungle gym tightly while his heart threatens to beat right out of his chest. The doughnut in his hand and the carton do not survive. Kazemaru watches helplessly as they are mercilessly pulled down by gravity, splattering against the ground. The sugary glaze that had looked so delectable on the pastry bleeds onto the rocks.

Next to the carcasses of the desserts is a soccer ball, rolling slowly until it hits the jungle gym. The ball must have been what hit Kazemaru earlier and he rubs his head. Thankfully, there is no bump or lingering pain.

"Sorry, sorry," an unfamiliar voice rings out. Despite the words, it's trembling with mirth, like the owner of the voice is seconds away from bursting out into laughter. Kazemaru looks down to see the boy with the strange haircut and the soccer ball approach the jungle gym. His face is twisted in a sadistic smile and Kazemaru frowns. "My hand slipped."

After seeing his display at juggling the ball, Kazemaru doubts that he could make such a mistake. But accidents happen. He shakes his head, takes a deep breath, and descends from the jungle gym.

"It's fine," he says once his feet touch solid ground. He uses his foot to roll the ball towards him, and then kicks it lightly back to the boy. "Just be careful next time."

He turns back to the doughnuts and starts to put them back into the carton. Though it was given to him as a way for Mrs. Endou to punish her son, they were still a gift of goodwill. And yet he destroyed them, all thanks to his clumsiness on the jungle gym. Kazemaru does not cry, because he is a big boy now, but it is a close thing.

There is a garbage can near the edge of the park, and after Kazemaru throws the carton inside, he'll probably go home. He is no longer in the mood for the swings. But before he can get any further, he hears the sound of rubber soles scraping against gravel.

"Hey, where're you going with that?"

Obviously, it is the boy. The real culprit behind Kazemaru's accident.

"I'm going to throw it out," Kazemaru snaps back.

"Oi, oi, you're going to waste food just like that?"

Kazemaru turns and stares at him incredulously.

"It fell on the ground."

The boy holds his hand out. "Let me see."

Kazemaru stares at the open palm and the boy shakes it impatiently. Kazemaru plunks the carton into the boy's hand and watches as the boy opens it up, looking inside. His face scrunches up for just a second and he removes one of the doughnuts from the box. It still retains its shape, except it looks more like a CD than a doughnut with how flat it is, and sand and dirt cling onto its glazed surface.

It does not look like anything Kazemaru would eat, and the boy does not look too happy about it either.

"See?" Kazemaru says. He reaches out to take the carton and doughnut back but the boy merely takes a step back. Kazemaru's hand grazes the air and comes up empty, and he narrows his eyes. "Give it back."

"You didn't want it, right?" the boy shoots back. He meticulously starts to brush and pick at the doughnut, removing the small stones and damaged parts. "Then it's mine now."

Kazemaru cannot argue with _that_ logic, and he does not really want to. He could leave now, because it's not as if he wants the doughnuts back at this point, but somehow he finds himself rooted to the spot, watching as the boy clean up the pastry with the diligence and precision of a surgeon.

"Here," the boy says, holding up the doughnut, or the remains of it. "Take it."

Kazemaru dumbly takes it from him and stares down at it. It looks bad, to be frank. It looks like a bird ravaged the thing, and so much of the snack had to be removed that only a mouthful of it remains. He looks up to thrust the doughnut back into the boy's hands, but the boy's sharp gaze is focused on the second doughnut in his hands, cleaning it up as best as he can.

At least he seems to feel bad about kicking the ball at Kazemaru, even if he didn't actually apologize properly for it. Kazemaru sighs and pops the remnants of the doughnut into his mouth. Unsurprisingly, it does not taste very good, since it's literally just a ball of plain cooked dough. The spongy texture carries upon it a faint warmth and saltiness that must have been from the boy's hands and Kazemaru scrunches up his face as he swallows.

"How was it?" the boy asks, popping his own doughnut into his mouth.

"Awful," Kazemaru replies bluntly.

Inexplicably, the boy laughs, even though Kazemaru was rude to him on purpose.

When he smiles, he looks like a whole different person. The cold sadism is replaced with a confident cheekiness, and, cursing his own personality, Kazemaru immediately feels a sense of kinship with this strange and horrible boy.

Some part of him reminds Kazemaru of Endou, and he does not know what that bodes for the boy, Endou, or himself.

"What's your name?" Kazemaru asks, and the boy stops smiling. "I'm Kazemaru Ichirouta."

"Ichirouta-chan?" the boy repeats.

"Kazemaru," he repeats firmly.

"Ha," is all the boy says before he falls silent. Kazemaru does not know what sort of conflict is brewing behind those cold green eyes, and he waits patiently for the boy to come to his decision, tapping his foot against the ground the whole time.

Finally, the boy says, "Fudou Akio."

Kazemaru does not recognize the name.

"Fudou?"

The boy nods, his expression grim. Kazemaru tilts his head to the side.

"It suits you."

The boy — Fudou — relaxes minutely and looks away with a sharp click of the tongue. "Here," he says, pushing the carton into Kazemaru's hand. "Don't waste food, you dumbass."

"You said a bad word!" Kazemaru yells instinctively, and Fudou's expression twists.

"Oh, shut up," he says. "Don't be such a bitch about it."

"You said another bad word! You shouldn't say that kind of stuff."

"Ha, says who?"

"Says my parents, and the teachers at school."

"They don't know anything."

"You still shouldn't be so mean."

"How about this," Fudou says and he skillfully kicks the soccer ball into the air, catching it with one hand. "Why don't we play a quick soccer match? A one-on-one. I can be the defence. If you can score a goal against me, I'll apologize for saying a bad word. But if you can't, then I'll say all the bad words that I know, and trust me, I know a lot."

"That's stupid," Kazemaru says. "There's nothing in it for me at all."

Admittedly, a game of soccer might be fun, but after seeing how good Fudou is with his ball control, Kazemaru sincerely doubts he can put up any sort of challenge. Sure, he has played with Endou a few times, but he's still essentially just an amateur who can run down the field really fast.

Fudou shrugs. "Alright, if you're going to be such a little _bitch_ about it, then I guess I'll just stand here and fucking say all of the words that the bastards —"

Kazemaru's face does not turn red but it is a close thing. He reaches out with a hand in an attempt to shut Fudou up but Fudou merely smirks and backs away, leaving Kazemaru struggling to regain his balance.

He has never been around someone as crude as Fudou. Most of the friends that Kazemaru surrounds himself with are people like Endou — people who dedicate all of their time and energy on bettering themselves, or single-mindedly chasing after their passion. His family is also the type that expends a lot of energy on saving face, and Kazemaru has been taught from a young age to watch his words and actions lest they reflect poorly on his parents and upbringing.

Though it is a slight exaggeration, the rapid-fire assault of words that Kazemaru has always considered "forbidden and naughty" is like being tossed into the deep end of a swimming pool without a word of warning or a life preserver. He's inordinately glad that Endou is not here with him right now. Of all the people in Kazemaru's life, Endou is the last person he wants associated with someone like Fudou.

"Fine," he says.

"That's the spirit," Fudou says.

They place the carton with the crushed doughnut on the ground, away from the net, and Kazemaru kicks at the ball a few times, rolling it back and forth. It is the exact same as Endou's ball, as far as he can tell, but without Endou on the field with him, it doesn't feel like he's playing the same sport at all.

"We don't have all day!" Fudou jeers.

He stands a short distance away, and he does not even bother to get in any sort of ready position. His arms are crossed, like he's waiting for a bus at the station instead of waiting for an offence.

He'll show him.

Kazemaru truly and sincerely doubts he can get the ball into the net, but if he can at the very least wipe that smug arrogance off of Fudou's face, then he will have accomplished his goal. He runs, dribbling the ball, but before he can take ten steps, Fudou races forward and kicks out, stealing the ball and trapping it easily. Kazemaru balks; the steal was so sudden and fierce compared to the plays that he's seen Endou or Endou's friends pull off. It felt like Fudou was a mere hair away from actually kicking Kazemaru's leg.

"Is that all you got?" Fudou laughs, lightly kicking the ball forward. Kazemaru traps it and clenches his fists to his sides. "This'll be easier than I thought."

Kazemaru takes a deep breath, then another. Without replying to Fudou's taunt, he darts forward, trying to keep the ball as close to his feet as possible. Fudou charges forward, but Kazemaru draws back. He only got a quick glimpse of Fudou running just now, but Kazemaru is the fastest kid in his school district. He doubts Fudou is faster than him. If he can get around Fudou, then his speed should be enough to shake him off.

But Fudou easily steals it again, and Kazemaru growls low in his throat before he catches himself. Unfortunately, Fudou is so close to him that he heard it.

"What was that? You're mad? Frustrated? How do you feel, Ichirouta-chan?"

"Shut up!"

Kazemaru dives forward in an attempt to steal the ball, but Fudou mirrors the action, drawing back and taking the ball with him. He keeps it just out of reach — close enough that Kazemaru can almost feel his toes graze it, but far enough that he can't quite dislodge it from Fudou's grip.

The playground is filled with the sound of panting and grunting as the two boys continue their game. 'Game' might be a bit of a misnomer, since the expression on Kazemaru's face is one of furious focus, but Fudou looks like he is having the time of his life. At this point, Kazemaru barely even remembers why he's on the ground, covered in dirt and sweat and scratches, trying to get the ball away from this stranger, but there is something so exhilarating about mindlessly chasing after the soccer ball that he doesn't even care anymore.

He slides and watches helplessly as Fudou kicks the ball into the air. The black-and-white sphere briefly covers the setting sun as it flies over Kazemaru's head and before it touches the ground, Fudou kicks it, hard and confident. The ball flies into the goal, landing onto the sand with a soft thump.

Kazemaru's voice is hoarse from thirst as he pants, "What are you doing?"

Fudou scoffs. "We could do this all damn day and it'll never finish. Unlike _you_ , I actually have things to do today."

"What?"

Kazemaru looks up and around and, for the first time, he notices that the bright blue sky of earlier has become a deep orange. He can hear in the distance the cawing of crows. He frantically looks down at his watch — it's still before curfew but he's cutting it a little bit close.

"Ah!"

He leaps to his sore and aching feet. For a second, he feels his knee start to give out but he manages to steady himself.

"Fudou, I —" Kazemaru starts, but Fudou's peculiar pose stops him short. One hand is outstretched towards Kazemaru, and his legs are parted, as if he was about to run towards something. Kazemaru tilts his head to the side. "What's wrong?"

"Tch," Fudou snaps and he crosses his arms. "Nothing. Ah, what a waste of time. I ended up spending all day playing _baby_ soccer with a loser."

At least he's not calling Kazemaru a 'dumbass' or a 'bitch' or anything. He'll take his victories where he can get them.

"It was fun, though," Kazemaru says, and he's surprised at how honest he is. He's never exerted himself like this when playing with Endou. Soccer with Endou is fun in the same way that playing a board game with a younger child is fun. It's easy and casual, but not something that Kazemaru would ever willingly want to do unless invited.

Playing with Fudou makes him realize for the first time the excitement and exhilaration that Endou must feel whenever he stands on the field. He never knew that soccer can be so fun.

Fudou's face twists. "Fun?" he repeats. "You weren't supposed to be having fun, you masochist."

"M-mayo...? What does that mean?"

"Tch, whatever. If you don't get it, it's fine."

Kazemaru frowns but before he can open his mouth to prod Fudou for an answer, he is forced to lean to the side just to avoid Fudou's kick. If he was a second too slow, Fudou's foot would have connected with his knee.

"Hey, watch it!" he shouts, clenching his fists.

"You'll need to practice for a thousand years if you ever hope to catch up with me, amateur," Fudou says, ignoring Kazemaru's protest. "I could have gotten more exercise playing with a dog."

Kazemaru takes a deep breath and counts to ten. He can't let himself get too overwhelmed by Fudou's exceedingly irritating attitude.

"If I need to practice for a thousand years, then could you help me with some of that time?" he asks.

"Huh?"

He didn't think that Fudou would ask him to repeat himself. Now that he thinks about it, isn't what he just said a little embarrassing? Kazemaru feels his face heat up, but hopefully, Fudou will mistake it for a trick of the light. There's nothing lamer than a man going back on his word so Kazemaru gives himself a mental shake and tries again.

"C-could you help me practice my soccer?"

"What's in it for me?" Fudou asks immediately.

"Um..."

Kazemaru racks his brain. Money? No, he barely gets enough allowance from his parents as it is. Snacks? He's not a good cook and though his mom is a great baker, she prefers to make wagashi and bean soups for dessert. The only thing that Kazemaru can proudly say he's good at is running and he's not sure if Fudou is interested in sprinting enough to want lessons from Kazemaru.

He must have looked awfully ridiculous, standing there with his chin in his hands and a frown on his face. Thankfully, instead of laughing, Fudou just sighs and rubs at the back of his head.

"Whatever. I'll think of something later. You better prepare yourself, Ichirouta-chan. My lessons aren't cheap."

Maybe sometimes, it's okay for a man to go back on his word.

Kazemaru opens his mouth to take back to the request but he stops when he sees Fudou reaching out with one hand, a pinky extended. Maybe it's the bad lighting, but his face looks a little pink; his skin is so pale that any bit of colour stands out. But when Kazemaru tries to lean forward to take a closer look, Fudou glares at him, baring his teeth aggressively.

"Well?" he snaps. "Do you want my help or not?"

"Oh!" Kazemaru says. On instinct, he reaches out with his own pinky and crosses it with Fudou's, shaking it firmly. He's done this many times with Endou before for stupid little promises, but a pinky promise has never felt this heavy before. "It's a promise!"

Fudou rolls his eyes. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Ichirouta-chan."

"I haven't had the time to say anything, but stop calling me that. It's _Kazemaru._ "

"Fine, Ichirouta-kun."

"That's not any better!"

Off in the distance, Kazemaru can hear the distant chimes of the park clock as it hits six o'clock and he hurriedly picks up the carton of doughnuts left half-forgotten on the ground. There's still one squished carcass inside and he splits it into two, popping one half into his mouth. Fudou must have taken Kazemaru leaving as a sort of dismissal because when Kazemaru turns around, he's already left the field, soccer ball under one arm.

"Fudou!" Kazemaru yells, but Fudou doesn't turn around or acknowledge him.

It would be weird to chase him down to give him half a doughnut and Kazemaru frowns as he places it into his mouth, barely savouring the doughy flavour before he swallows it. He'll have to make it up to Fudou tomorrow, when the two of them play soccer together.

Just the thought of it makes Kazemaru's heart race faster. Is this how Endou feels whenever he goes around asking people to play soccer with him? Kazemaru can't wait until he finishes practicing with Fudou — just how will Endou react when he sees how good his best friend is?

Even though Fudou didn't ask for food, Kazemaru pulls out a few of the fancy Kyoto cookies that his mom bought for him after he got a hundred on all of his tests, and places them into his school bag.

The next day after school, Kazemaru goes to the park, holding a small bag of cookies in hand. It's not like he brought them from home hoping to share them with Fudou, but it's the least he can do to pay Fudou back for helping him with soccer. He even had to lie to Endou so that Endou doesn't try to come with Kazemaru.

But no matter how he sits there, kicking his feet and staring up at the sky, tracing the shapes of the clouds, Fudou doesn't show up.

He doesn't show up the day after that, or the day after that. After fifteen days of visiting the park and avoiding Endou's increasingly frantic curiosity, Kazemaru is forced to admit to himself that Fudou has no plans on following up on his promise. Perhaps he never intended to.

But that's fine. It's not like Kazemaru is serious about soccer anyway. It was silly of him to drop by for so long. He should have stopped after three days.

He stands up and pats at the back of his pants, even though he made sure the park bench was clean before he sat down. The heat of Fudou's pinky around Kazemaru's has long faded, but when Kazemaru rubs his hands against the slightly rough material of his school uniform, it's like he can trick himself into thinking that the warmth of Fudou's promise still ties them together.

(Little does Kazemaru know that years later, during his second year of middle school, the promise that the two of them made under the fading light will be fulfilled, but on a grander scale than the two of them could have ever imagined.)


	2. First Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, we die like Aphrodi during the Chaos match. There is Kazemaru <\- Endou <\- Hiroto in this fic. Please read this knowing that I really like Hiroto.
> 
> Very obviously, this is set during third season, most likely right at the beginning of the training camp.

"Blegh!"

Fudou spits onto the ground, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. Even from a distance, Endou can see his expression twisted in disgust, as if he had kissed a toad instead of Kazemaru.

Only a short distance away from Fudou, Kazemaru mirrors his action, rubbing at his face so hard that Gouenji has to step in so that Kazemaru doesn't irritate his skin with the friction. Endou can't hear what Gouenji is saying to Kazemaru, but Kazemaru relaxes his shoulders and smiles up at him. Kurimatsu and Kabeyama had been staring at him with their mouths agape but as soon as Kazemaru glances in their direction, they turn away, faces flushed.

It's rare for Fudou to involve himself with practice beyond what Coach Kudou orders, and it's even rarer for him to do so with the rest of the team. The group had been split up into two groups — offence and defence — in a small practice match, and Kazemaru was marking Fudou for the majority of the first half.

From his position in front of the soccer net, Endou wasn't able to get a good look at just what exactly happened. But most likely, when Kazemaru saw his teammate steal the ball, he immediately turned around to start moving towards the opponent's goal, only to run straight into Fudou. It seems his incredible speed worked against him this time.

"Kazemaru!" Endou calls as he runs over, waving his hand. Gouenji frowns slightly as he backs up to allow him into their space.

"Endou," Kazemaru says, looking up at him. The skin around his mouth is red from when he was scrubbing at it with his hand.

"K-Kazemaru," Endou stammers. He reaches out to grab Kazemaru's shoulders but pauses before he could touch him. Would he really want to be touched by a guy right after what happened? His hands hover uselessly in the air instead, and Endou curses his own weakness. "Are you alright? Do you feel sick? Should we take you to go see the doctor?"

"Just what do you think I am? A poisonous toad?" Fudou snarks from the background, but both Endou and Kazemaru ignore him.

"I'm fine, Endou," Kazemaru says. "You're worrying too much."

He smiles softly and reaches up to grab one of Endou's hands, pulling it down so that it's resting on his shoulder. Endou breathes a sigh of relief and places his free hand on Kazemaru's other shoulder.

"Of course we'd worry," Gouenji says, even though Kazemaru wasn't talking to him. The two of them look up at him. Gouenji smiles confidently down at Kazemaru and Endou, and Endou can practically see the sparkle of the sunlight glinting off of Gouenji's perfectly white teeth. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"More than that! We're teammates," Fubuki adds, popping in from out of nowhere. He holds a small bottle of face lotion in his hands and he squeezes it out onto his fingers. Endou and Kazemaru watch as Fubuki rubs his fingers together to spread the lotion and then smears it onto Kazemaru's face. "Of course we'd watch out for each other."

Does he bring face lotion with him everywhere like it's a replacement for hand cream? Or did he run back to his room and then sprint back to the field in the span of time it took for Gouenji to talk to them?

"Thanks, you guys," Kazemaru says.

"You can always count on us, Kazemaru!" Endou exclaims, giving Kazemaru his best smile and a big thumbs up.

As Midorikawa might say, all's well that ends well.

...

Or so they thought.

"Are you guys kidding me?" Fudou yells, stomping over to Kazemaru and the others.

He can practically see the flowers and butterflies dancing in the air from how peaceful the atmosphere is around the small group of boys. But it's like they're forgetting that there are two victims involved in what just happened.

"Fudou," Gouenji says. He sounds like he only just noticed Fudou, even though a mere minute ago, they were chasing the soccer ball on the court together. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you guys sure aren't hiding your favouritism," Fudou snaps. "I'm also a victim here. Of all the people here, I had to kiss _Kazemaru-kun_."

"Would you have wanted to kiss someone else at this camp?" Fubuki asks. He sounds innocent and cheery enough, but Fudou can see right through his angelic act. If he thinks he can somehow embarrass Fudou in front of everyone, he has another thing coming.

Fudou snorts derisively, making sure everyone in the vicinity can hear the depths of his scorn. "As if. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not interested in sweaty guys. My first kiss was supposed to go to a woman with big breasts, not a skinny half-ass."

(To be honest, if Fudou was forced to pick someone out of the members of Inazuma Japan to kiss, he supposes Kazemaru is the best choice, just from a visual standpoint. If Kabeyama or Kurimatsu or, God forbid, _Kidou_ marked him instead of Kazemaru...He shudders to think of what would have touched his virgin lips.)

”Your first kiss was 'supposed to'?" Hiroto echoes. He nods to himself. "Ah, I see."

"The hell you talking about?"

"No, it's nothing," Hiroto says, smiling gently at Fudou. "Just that you were much more of a child than I thought you were."

Fudou's impression of Hiroto is that of a person overcompensating for his past crimes by excessively trying to either stay out of everyone's way or agree with what they're saying. He doesn't think his evaluation of Hiroto is off, but it seems that, just like everyone else, there is a blind spot in Hiroto's consciousness — a huge blind spot that just so happens to be in the shape of one Fudou Akio.

"What are you talking about?" Kazemaru asks for Fudou. His expression is the same as it always is, save for the fact that the whole bottom of his face is slightly shiny from the face cream that Fubuki covered him with. It seems that he's already gotten over the shock of what happened.

"Kazemaru-kun, it looks like you were also in the wrong just now," Hiroto says. He's doing his best to keep a level tone, but Fudou can hear the minute shake in his tone as he struggles to hold back his laughter. "You stole Fudou-kun's first kiss."

"Sh-shut up!" Fudou snaps. Fubuki and Gouenji's soft snickering only fan the flames of his anger even more. Thankfully, Endou and Kazemaru don't laugh, or Fudou would have exploded. Instead, the two idiots just give each other clueless looks before Kazemaru shrugs his shoulders. "And you!" Fudou continues, whirling to face him. "How are you so calm about this? I doubt that _you_ kissed someone before."

He remembers walking into the cafeteria the other night and seeing Tsunami trying to talk to Tachimukai about gravure models during dinner. The idiot didn't notice how half of the room had gone silent and red, and just kept blabbering on about breasts versus butts while Tachimukai looked seconds away from overheating. Kazemaru was sitting several tables away, but he was straight up covering his ears, looking so overwhelmed that Endou even suggested that Kazemaru take his dinner to his room.

There's no way that someone like that has ever experienced a kiss before.

"I _have_ , but it doesn't count," Kazemaru says, looking mildly irritated at Fudou's tone. "It doesn't count if it's —"

"Hey, maybe we should go back to practice," Endou tries to butt in, but he isn't able to stop Kazemaru from finishing his sentence.

"—two guys kissing. That's what Endou told me."

"Endou, you said that?" Gouenji asks, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Wow, Captain," Fubuki says, but his tone is unreadable.

"Endou-kun, really?" Hiroto says, his eyes sparkling. "Then would you kiss me?"

The group looks away from him awkwardly. Endou rubs at the back of his head.

"Um, later," he says, smiling up at him. It's not as big a smile as the one he usually gives everyone.

It's an obvious lie, but Hiroto clenches his fist in excitement and pulls out his phone, tapping at it rapidly. Fudou isn't sure if he's typing a message to Midorikawa or inputting a "First Kiss With Endou-kun!" reminder into his calendar.

"What was your first kiss with the captain like?" Fubuki prods.

Kazemaru frowns. "Fubuki, it wasn't my real first kiss. It doesn't count if it's between two guys."

"Alright, alright. What was your kiss with the captain like?"

A shrug. "It was fine."

Gouenji pokes Endou with his elbow and Endou sighs.

"We were kids and it was just supposed to be a joke."

Perhaps sensing that he isn't going to get an interesting answer from Kazemaru or Endou, Fubuki changes his target, staring at Fudou.

"Fudou-kun, how was your first kiss with Kazemaru-kun? Did it taste like lemons, like they say?" He tilts his head and leans forward into Fudou's space.

It's a calculated move, intended to make the most of his adorable appearance, but Fudou has no qualms about physically pushing him back with the palm of his hand.

"Shouldn't you be the one telling me all about first kisses, senpai?" Fudou asks coldly. He is absolutely not a fan of how the group is treating him like a butt monkey. He almost misses the frigid and awkward antagonism of before, when everyone naturally kept him at arm's length. "You're probably super popular at Hakuren, aren't you?"

Fubuki shrugs. "Well, yeah, but I'm only interested in soccer, just the same as you. So I want to hear all about your first romantic experience."

"It wasn't romantic," Kazemaru scolds. "It doesn't count as a first kiss."

"So did it taste like lemons?" Fubuki asks, ignoring Kazemaru's interruption.

Fudou's brain is one of a kind. Kidou may have the trust of Inazuma Japan, but Fudou's strategies on and off the field are just as effective as anything Kidou can come up with. He is confident that he is one of the smartest members of the Inazuma Japan team, which honestly isn't saying much, since the majority of the players are absolute idiots.

He uses said genius brain to reflect on what happened earlier. How did Kazemaru's lips feel? Soft, he guesses. Kind of wet? He can't remember the taste. All he remembers is the overwhelming disgust and immediate shock. There was no joy in the act at all, and he can't recall any particular flavour.

"I can't remember," he says honestly.

"Boo," Fubuki says, pouting.

"What if you two try again?" Gouenji suggests. "It'll be interesting to see if the saying is true."

"Would it still be a first kiss?" Hiroto asks, pocketing his phone. "I mean, they already kissed before."

"It's not a first kiss if it's between two guys," Kazemaru points out for the umpteenth time.

Fudou wishes someone would shut him up.

He also wishes that someone would show up and scold them all for fooling around during practice. But Kudou is off dealing with paperwork and the managers are all doing laundry. Kidou and the other half of Inazuma Japan watch from the side, clearly amused. Aren't they here to play soccer? They're wasting daylight.

"If it doesn't count, then that means no matter how many times you two kiss, it's still a first kiss," Gouenji says. He stares into Kazemaru's face, looking dead serious. "Kazemaru, this is for science. Kiss Fudou again and tell us how it tastes."

Excuse me?

"What the fuck are you —" Fudou starts but before he can finish, Kazemaru nods.

"Sure. That sounds kind of weird but I'll do it, Gouenji."

"Kiss Gouenji instead, then!" Fudou yells.

He starts to back up but a pair of strong hands settle on his shoulders, stopping him in his steps. Fubuki is standing behind him, a smile on his face. The pressure he exerts is heavier than anything Kageyama ever put out during Fudou's time in Shin Teikoku.

"Fudou-kun, it's for science," Hiroto says, raising his fists in the air.

Was he always this idiotic? Or maybe the promise of getting a kiss from Endou killed all of his brain cells.

Fudou looks at his last hope — Endou. Endou wouldn't just let Kazemaru kiss Fudou, if he went so far as to lie to Kazemaru about what counts and doesn't count as a "first kiss." But Endou just gives him a helpless look and mouths 'Sorry.' He does not appear to have any interest in taking responsibility for his own actions.

Kazemaru walks towards him slowly, fierce determination on his face. He looks like he does whenever he is about to use a hissatsu on the field. In a way, Fudou's right. In a sense, it's a hissatsu technique specially created to cause as much pain and suffering to Fudou as humanly possible.

"Kazemaru-kun, you gotta be kidding," Fudou says, pitching his voice high in an attempt to sound innocent and pitiful. "Just take a second to think about what you're doing. This is weird, right? I mean, you can't seriously believe that first kisses don't count between two guys. Of course, they do."

"Of course they don't!" Endou says.

"You shut up!" Fudou yells before he clears his throat and tries again to appeal to Kazemaru's non-existent brain. "C'mon, we're still practicing. Let's just go back to playing soccer and we can talk about kisses during dinner or something."

But there is no stopping him. Once Kazemaru decides on something, then there is no hope in changing his mind.

"Sorry," he says, and right before Fudou can open his mouth to again try and convince Kazemaru to stop, Kazemaru leans in and presses his lips against Fudou's.

This time, it's not the glancing blow that the two shared earlier. It's slow, with Kazemaru taking the time to really savour the sensation of Fudou's mouth. Unfortunately, Fudou's mind records everything his sensitive lips pick up.

Like he remembers, Kazemaru's lips are soft, albeit dry. He doesn't really taste like anything, with his mouth so tightly closed, but he's so close that Fudou can smell the sweat on his skin and the fruity clean scent of his shampoo. Every time Kazemaru exhales, the warmth of his breath puffs against Fudou's cheek, and Fudou feels his face heat up at the proximity.

There is no shred of romance or common sense in Kazemaru's body, so his eyes are wide open, staring into Fudou's. Though it's horribly embarrassing, Fudou narrows his eyes and glares back. He always knew that Kazemaru's face is more on the feminine side, but he never realized just how long his eyelashes are. When he lowers his eyelids, the sun casts a shadow onto his cheek, and for the briefest of moments, Fudou can almost trick himself into thinking that he really is kissing a woman.

Hiroto's wolf whistle brings Fudou back to reality and he shoves himself back. Fubuki, taken off-guard, yelps as he falls to the ground, taking Fudou with him. It hurt his tailbone when he hit the ground, but Fudou doesn't care about that. He's too busy rubbing at his mouth, trying to chase away the lingering softness and heat of Kazemaru's lips.

Though Kazemaru's reaction was just as disgusted the first time they kissed, he doesn't seem that affected now, crossing his arms and looking down at his shoes. There is a frown on his face and he looks deep in thought, though Fudou has no idea what he could be thinking about.

"How was it?" Gouenji asks.

"What did it taste like?" Hiroto says, leaning close.

"Hmm," Kazemaru says, tapping at his elbow. "It didn't really taste like anything."

"Do you remember what your first kiss with the captain tasted like?" Fubuki says, rolling to his feet and dusting his pants off.

"Not really," Kazemaru says at the same time as Endou saying, "It tasted sweet."

Kazemaru shoots him a curious look and Endou laughs it off.

But before anyone could ask anything, Aki's voice sounds out from the bench.

"Everyone, we made some honeyed lemon slices! ... Why aren't you practicing?"

There is no stopping the stampede of hungry boys as they run towards the bench. Even though they barely got any exercise done for the past fifteen minutes, they can never say no to some snacks, especially Kabeyama.

Fudou watches them race towards Aki and Fuyuka, picking out the honeyed lemon slices from the plastic containers in their hands. There's no need to run and try and pick the best ones; he's sure that the managers will stop anyone from taking too much, and Fudou has never been the type of person to care about what his food looks like.

He almost reaches the circle of people when Kazemaru breaks away, holding two lemon slices delicately between his fingers. As soon as he sees Fudou, he runs over and hands the lemons to him.

"Here," he says.

Fudou dumbly accepts them.

"Kabeyama and the others already finished an entire container's worth," Kazemaru says. Though his tone is annoyed, the smile on his face reminds Fudou of the mothers he sometimes sees at the park. Like he's accepting with open arms anything that his children can throw at him. "Sorry I didn't take some more."

"No, it's fine," Fudou says, and he pops them into his mouth. The sweet sourness fills his senses immediately and he closes his eyes as he chews.

"Are they good?" Kazemaru asks excitedly, even though he didn't make them himself.

They're refreshing, of course, and though he knows that it's just a placebo effect, he feels instantly energized again. Unbidden, his memory conjures up the image of a few minutes earlier, when Kazemaru was standing closer to him than he is now. He vividly remembers the sweet aroma of his hair tempered by the surprisingly refreshing scent of his sweat, and can recall with perfect clarity the contrast between the heat of Kazemaru's mouth and the slightly cool surface of his skin.

He chokes, coughing slightly on the lemon. The memory should have soured the taste but instead, the flavour is amplified, and Fudou licks at the insides of his mouth in a poor attempt to clear it away.

"F-Fudou, are you alright?" Kazemaru asks, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Fine," Fudou manages to rasp, clearing his throat as best as he can.

He averts his eyes from Kazemaru's face — specifically, his mouth. He'll have to ask Tsunami about his favourite gravure models again, as well as ask if Tsunami or Hijikata snuck any magazines into the dormitory. The last thing he wants is the lingering memory of Kazemaru's kiss before he goes to bed tonight.

At the very least, first kisses don't count if they're between two guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe one day I can write something serious for Inazuma. Maybe one day I'll put in as much effort as I did for ShuAke. But that's certainly not this day.


	3. Video Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kazemaru frowns. "You saw mine."
> 
> "Yours ain't anything special. It's just the default."
> 
> "We saw Sakuma's and Genda's."
> 
> "They're braggarts."
> 
> "I want to see yours. I told you that I want to get to know you better."
> 
> (Fudou's gaming habit is getting in the way of his studies and as the reinforcement committee for Teikoku, Kazemaru takes it upon himself to give him a talking to. It doesn't go as planned.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, we die like Kazemaru during the game's Genesis match.
> 
> Set somewhere during Ares no Tenbin. 
> 
> Fukaze....?

Despite appearances, Fudou is one of the more serious students in Teikoku's soccer club. Not only does he wear his uniform perfectly (Sakuma has to chase down Jimon during lunch break to make sure Jimon's collar and buttons are presentable) but he is surprisingly good at taking notes.

Fudou is the type who takes messy notes during class, jotting down anything and everything important the teacher says, and then taking time after to organize and colour code everything. Kazemaru asked him once for help studying after he almost failed his math test (just what kind of junior high school does calculus? Raimon was still working on fractions) and Fudou's notes were so neat that Kazemaru spent his entire study session learning how to take notes instead.

(Needless to say, Kazemaru did not do very well on his re-test. He didn't actually retain a single thing about calculus from Fudou, but at least he's doing better in his other courses now.)

During science class, Kazemaru glances over in Fudou's direction. There was no meaning behind the action. He just wanted to look at the clock and it so happened that Fudou's seat is right under it. The sharp gaze that is usually focused on the blackboard is turned downward, and from Kazemaru's position slightly behind Fudou, he has a perfect view of what Fudou is doing.

He's playing a game on his phone, keeping the phone inside of his desk so that the teacher can't see. His notebook is completely blank. No chicken scratch or diagrams at all.

Sure, Fudou is smart, but is he so smart that he can just listen to the teacher and remember everything? If Fudou gets caught, then the reputation of Teikoku's soccer team will be tarnished. It would be no joke if Fudou can't join practice or matches because he's too busy getting into trouble from the school.

Kazemaru's eyebrows furrow as he glares at Fudou, trying desperately to send a telepathic "STOP!" message, but Fudou doesn't notice.

As soon as the bell chimes, Kazemaru roughly shoves his books into his bag and leaps out of his chair. The students around him look up in surprise at how uncharacteristically violent the normally-stoic Kazemaru is acting, but Kazemaru doesn't care. He stops in front of Fudou's desk, and Fudou glares up at him.

"The hell you want?" he snarls, shoving his phone into his pocket.

Kazemaru takes a deep breath. He can't lose his cool. He has to remember his position as the reinforcement committee.

(He's not sure if he has any grounds to lecture Fudou about his class attitude considering just a few weeks ago, he had to beg for Fudou's help in math.)

"Fudou," he says, pitching his voice low and emotionless. "I need to talk to you before practice. Go to the field as soon as you can."

"Sure, whatever," Fudou says, rolling his eyes.

Kazemaru watches him start to put his books away and leaves the classroom, ignoring the curious whispering that follows him. The locker room is thankfully empty — most of the team is probably still on their way from class or they dropped by the cafeteria to grab a quick snack — and he changes into the Teikoku uniform quickly. He's long since stopped feeling nostalgic and self-deprecating about the dark green of Teikoku's colours. Now, he even feels a weird sense of pride as he pats himself down and fixes his hair.

When he walks out onto the field, Fudou is just entering, still in his school uniform.

"Fudou, you're late," he says.

"Sure, sorry about that," Fudou says dismissively. He starts to make his way to the locker room but considering how slow Fudou can move when he's in a pissy mood, there is a very high chance that the other members of Teikoku will show up during their talk.

Fudou is already disliked for butting heads so much with Sakuma. If they hear about his poor attitude in class, then Teikoku's teamwork will suffer; knowing Sakuma, he would get on Fudou's case and Fudou would only argue back. The team would never be split between Sakuma and Fudou. They would take Sakuma's side, no questions asked, and Fudou would be further isolated from the rest.

If this was someone unnecessary for Teikoku's victory, Kazemaru wouldn't care. Or, to be more precise, the reinforcement committee for Teikoku wouldn't care. As the individual Kazemaru Ichirouta, of course he wants everyone on the team to work together and get along. But he's not here to help Teikoku with their interpersonal strife.

(The true objective of the reinforcement committee — imparting the "Raimon spirit" into other schools — somehow fell to the wayside. Kazemaru's mind is filled only with the prospect of absolute victory.)

They need Fudou to win, whether Sakuma and the others like it or not. Especially now with Kidou playing on a rival team.

"I need to talk to you about your attitude in class," Kazemaru says, getting right to the point.

Fudou clicks his tongue, but Kazemaru has long gotten used to his brash rudeness. "What are you, my mom?"

Kazemaru shakes his head. "I'm not trying to discipline you. I'm trying to make sure you can show up for practice and matches. What'll you do if you get in trouble for playing with your phone during class and get suspended?"

"As if Teikoku would _suspend_ me," Fudou snorts. "They know how important the soccer team is."

Maybe. Raimon's teachers were still strict about academics; Endou certainly was never able to slack off and he was even forced to take time off from practice once so he can improve his grades. Teikoku is, in all aspects, a school that exceeds Kazemaru's expectations. But at the end of the day, it's still a school.

"What were you even doing on your phone?" Kazemaru asks instead. Fudou seems the type of person who would do things on purpose if someone tells him to stop. There's no point ordering him to put away his phone during class time. Kazemaru needs to get a bit more creative. "I had the impression that you don't have any friends."

"And just what do you know about me?" Fudou snaps.

He _really_ doesn't seem the type to have anyone outside of his family to text.

"Nothing much," Kazemaru admits. "That's why I want to know more about you."

"Well, I don't _want_ you to know anything about me," Fudou says shortly and before Kazemaru can dismiss him, he disappears into the locker room.

As if on cue, Sakuma and Genda walk into the field.

"Hey," Sakuma says, raising a hand in greeting. "You're here early."

During matches and practice, he never seems to like Kazemaru very much, but outside of soccer, he's surprisingly friendly. He's so different from the cold impression he gave off during Teikoku's practice match with Raimon that Kazemaru once suspected Sakuma of having a secret evil twin or a second personality.

Kazemaru nods back at him in acknowledgement. Sakuma sighs and shrugs his shoulders before he walks into the locker room, Genda in tow. For the brief moment that the locker door room is open, Kazemaru can hear Sakuma yell something at Fudou while Genda attempts to calm them down. The door closes before he can hear Fudou retaliate but he's sure that the locker room is echoing with the sounds of their argument.

The rest of Teikoku's soccer team come in and once everyone is in their uniforms, practice starts. It's about the same as usual, and Kageyama doesn't bother to come down and watch over them. It's tough, acting as the reinforcement committee for a school that prides itself on its long history of victory and excellence.

Everyone, even players who aren't regulars or part of the starting line-up, has played soccer for years longer than Kazemaru. It's like trying to teach a group of professional chefs how to make pasta, except the teacher only knows how to make sauce from a can. There's nothing that Kazemaru can teach them that they don't already know, and with the shadow of Kageyama's influence over the entire team, he doubts they will ever completely trust him enough for their hearts to come together as one.

He shakes his head roughly, his long hair slapping his face. There's no point feeling down about it. He has a job to do, and there is no room for failure.

With new determination, the next day at school, he makes sure that he keeps an eye on Fudou the entire class. Fudou spends literature and math class taking notes seriously, nodding to himself every once in a while. He has a habit of twirling his pencil on his thumb whenever he needs to think particularly hard about a question, but when Kazemaru tries to copy him, his pencil merely clatters onto the desk. The third time he attempts it while everyone is solving a worksheet, and the sound rings out like a gunshot in the silence of the room.

"Kazemaru-kun, is something the matter?" the teacher asks, peering at Kazemaru over his glasses.

The students in Teikoku do not openly snigger like the students at Raimon might, but Kazemaru can feel the weight of their amusement anyway.

"Nothing. I'm sorry," he says, picking up his pencil. He doesn't look over at Fudou, sure that his teammate is smirking at him.

Just like last time, Fudou's studious attitude falls apart during science class. He takes his phone out of the pocket and sticks it under the desk, tapping at it. His notebook and pencil sit forgotten on the table. Kazemaru glances over at the teacher; he's still droning on about pathogenicity (Just what is he talking about? Raimon's science class was still going over stamens and pistils when Kazemaru transferred) and lucky for both soccer players, they're sitting behind tall students who can block the teacher's view.

Kazemaru takes a deep breath and slides himself to the right slightly, leaning to get a better look at Fudou's phone. It's difficult to see the details from far away, but he can recognize some pastel blobs and a simplistic menu. Fudou gives off the impression of someone who only plays action or puzzle games, so maybe it's a sort of Bejeweled or Candy Crush?

"Psst," Kazemaru hears and he feels something sharp jab into his spine. He turns to see the boy behind him looking at him with clear anger in his eyes. "I can't see the blackboard."

"Sorry," Kazemaru whispers. With one last look at Fudou, who is still staring down at his phone, Kazemaru turns his attention back down to his notebook.

The white of the page seems to laugh at him.

* * *

"Oh, Penguin Atsume!" Sakuma exclaims as the Teikoku soccer team starts to file out of the locker room. "I play it too."

"Sakuma, didn't your precious Kidou-kun ever tell you how rude it is to look at other people's phones without their permission?"

He's staring down at Fudou's phone and Fudou glares at him. Without any hair to cover up his ears, everyone can see the pale rose tint to them despite the aggressive tone of his voice.

Normally Sakuma might have argued back but the excitement of finding someone who shares the same hobby as him overpowers it. He digs in his pants pocket and tugs out his own smartphone. There is an emperor penguin-shaped pop socket on Sakuma's emperor penguin-patterned phone case. Fudou's face twists but thankfully, he doesn't take the obvious bait.

"Friend me!" Sakuma demands, holding up his screen.

On Sakuma's phone, the same pastel blobs that Kazemaru saw on Fudou's roll around in what appears to be a giant aquarium.

"What, no," Fudou says.

"Friend me and I'll send you gold eggs."

"Okay, show me your ID."

Sakuma taps at his screen a few times before showing Fudou a white screen displaying what Kazemaru presumes is his friend code. Fudou enters it into his own phone, looking up every once in a while for confirmation. Next to Sakuma, Genda watches patiently, even though he's already done changing.

"What is that?" Kazemaru asks, approaching them.

If Sakuma is also playing the game that Fudou is so obsessed with, then maybe Kazemaru can use this to improve their relationship. He can also try and understand Fudou a little better by downloading it onto his own phone and hopefully, find a way to curb Fudou's smartphone addiction through that.

_This is for Teikoku's victory._

"It's Penguin Atsume," Sakuma says. "You haven't heard of it?"

"No."

Sakuma's mouth falls open. "You don't know Penguin Atsume? Wow, Raimon's really —"

"Raimon has nothing to do with it," Kazemaru cuts in sharply before he clears his throat. "What is it?"

"It's a game where you collect penguins by placing toys and food," Genda explains. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his phone, and taps at the screen a few times. There is a rockhopper penguin-shaped pop socket on his rockhopper penguin-patterned phone case. "See?"

He shows Kazemaru his screen and Kazemaru peers at it. Sakuma had placed all of his food and toys in an aquarium, but Genda chose to decorate his exhibit like it's a living room. There is a blue penguin poking at a saury-shaped toy while an orange penguin sits in a tire, its flippers sticking out and thumping at the black plastic rhythmically.

It reminds Kazemaru so much of Endou that he looks down at his shoes, caught in a wave of nostalgia.

He's not sure if Genda noticed or not because Genda swipes at the screen and says, "Look."

On display is a big fat white penguin sitting next to an empty bowl with its eyes closed in satisfaction. Flecks of silver dirty her beak. There is no other penguin in sight, as opposed to how rowdy the other screen is.

"Manzoku-chan came," Genda says, as if that means anything to Kazemaru.

"I see," Kazemaru says.

Sakuma spits and Fudou backs off, a disgusted look on his face.

"Gyahaha!" Sakuma shrieks. His excitement at meeting a new Penguin Atsume friend is at its peak. "Manzoku-chan came again? Genda, this is why I told you to get the aquarium. You can place the food inside and she won't go in."

Genda smiles fondly down at his phone. Specifically, at the white penguin. "How can I say no to that face?"

"You're losing out on fish," Sakuma points out, but Genda is lost in the allure of Manzoku-chan.

Kazemaru turns to Fudou, who hasn't said a word ever since Kazemaru joined the conversation. "Fudou, what did you decorate your exhibit like?"

"I bet it's just the plain one," Sakuma scoffs. "He's probably a filthy casual."

Fudou rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm not like you, Sakuma-kun. I actually pay attention to my studies instead of spending all my time gaming."

"What did you say?"

Kazemaru frowns at the obvious lie. It's not like Fudou doesn't know that Kazemaru's aware that he fiddles around with his phone during class. Most likely, he's playing Penguin Atsume, if what Kazemaru saw on his screen the other day is any indication. Fudou glares in his direction — there is an obvious 'keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you' message hidden in the sharp gaze.

"Well, whatever," Sakuma says, exiting the app and placing his phone back into his pocket. "Fudou, I'll send you the gold eggs later. You better send me some too."

"I never promised that."

"Send me them! Captain's orders."

Fudou rolls his eyes and Genda smiles, placing a hand on Sakuma's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sakuma. I'll send you some if Fudou doesn't."

"Genda, no. Focus on getting the aquarium."

"But then Manzoku-chan can't visit."

Kazemaru watches the two leave the locker room, still arguing about Penguin Atsume. He knows what the game is now, at least, but he doesn't quite understand what all the fuss is about. Maybe it's one of those things where you have to experience it for yourself. He takes out his own phone and navigates to the app store, typing in "Penguin Atsume."

It comes up immediately and, to his relief, the game itself is free. He wastes no time in downloading it.

"What, Kazemaru-kun, you're going to play it too?" Fudou asks, leaning in and resting his chin on Kazemaru's shoulder.

What was that he said about looking at other people's phones without their permission? Kazemaru shrugs him off and Fudou backs away immediately.

"It's for Teikoku's victory," Kazemaru says curtly.

"Huh?"

In lieu of answering, Kazemaru starts it up. His exhibit is plain — just a flat white floor surrounded by concrete walls. It looks a little bit like a jail cell and Kazemaru shakes his head quickly to dislodge the thought. Ever since he came to Teikoku, his imagination has become quite negative. There is an empty food bowl sitting forlornly on the ground.

"Press the shop button and buy the thrifty feed," Fudou orders.

Kazemaru nods, following his instructions. Thankfully, the thrifty feed is free, and at Fudou's command, he uses the paltry amount of fish he starts off with to purchase a small red ring. Instructions appear on screen, telling Kazemaru to place his items on the ground and then exit the app, so he does so. Fudou supervises the whole time silently.

When Kazemaru clicks back in, there is a grey Adélie penguin balancing the ring on its beak.

(The one thing he does feel quite superior about compared to his old Raimon teammates is his knowledge of penguins, trained into him by Sakuma. He's pretty sure he could take a university-level course on penguins at this point in time.)

"Oh," Kazemaru breathes. "It's cute."

"Its name is Haihai-chan," Fudou says.

It's such an adorable name coming out of Fudou's mouth that Kazemaru can't suppress his snort of laughter. Immediately, Fudou narrows his eyes.

"What?" he growls, but the obvious embarrassment on his face only makes Kazemaru snigger harder before he remembers his place and collects himself.

He clears his throat and says, "Nothing. And then what?"

Fudou shrugs. "You wait until Haihai-chan leaves and gives you fish, and then you use the fish to buy better food and toys."

Kazemaru waits. Fudou stares at him. Kazemaru stares back.

"Is that it?" he asks.

"Yep."

"I see."

Kazemaru absolutely does not see.

Maybe he isn't cut out for video games. He's an athlete through and through. He'll have to find another common ground between himself and the rest of Teikoku, but at the very least, Penguin Atsume can bring Sakuma and Fudou closer together. That's a weight off of his shoulders. He exits the app and places his phone into his pocket right as Fudou opens up his Penguin Atsume.

"Hm? You don't wanna be friends?" Fudou asks.

Considering how aggressively he turned down Sakuma's offer, Kazemaru's surprised that Fudou is asking of his own accord. Ah, but now that he thinks back on it, Sakuma's "offer" was more an order. No wonder Fudou reacted so badly to it.

"Nah, I'm not sure if I'll play it for very long," Kazemaru says. "Can I see your penguins?"

Fudou looks down at his phone. "No."

Kazemaru frowns. "You saw mine."

"Yours ain't anything special. It's just the default."

"We saw Sakuma's and Genda's."

"They're braggarts."

"I want to see yours. I told you that I want to get to know you better."

Kazemaru reaches out to try and take the phone away from Fudou, but Fudou holds it out of his reach. It's times like this that Kazemaru absolutely despises the height difference between the two of them. It's not much — the top of his head reaches the tip of Fudou's nose — but it's enough that Kazemaru's fingers can only graze at the bottom of Fudou's phone. Even when he stands on his toes, it's the same, and Fudou, curse him, even leans back to make it more difficult for Kazemaru.

"Why won't you let me see your penguins?" Kazemaru growls.

He's chest-to-chest with Fudou, leaning into his space and crowding him against the lockers. The tips of his fingers brush against the palm of Fudou's hand and Fudou skillfully uses his fingers to re-adjust his grip on his phone so that it's completely out of Kazemaru's reach.

"Why do you want to see them so bad?" Fudou replies, his voice strained. "They're just penguins."

"They're _your_ penguins," Kazemaru shoots back. For some reason, that makes Fudou loosen his grip on his phone somewhat — enough for it to slide down and into Kazemaru's hand.

He ignores Fudou's furious shout and backs away quickly. Not only does Fudou have a (very small) height advantage, but he also has no qualms about playing dirty. As long as he doesn't physically injure Kazemaru to the point that Kazemaru can't play, he won't hesitate to pinch or poke or kick.

Shockingly enough, Fudou doesn't have a passcode set for his phone so as soon as Kazemaru presses the power button, he's greeted with Penguin Atsume. But unlike the aquarium and the living room of Sakuma and Genda's games, Fudou's looks like something Kazemaru might see in a Halo Kitty cartoon.

Pastel pink and blue clouds hang from the ceiling, with toys and penguins crowded on them like angels in a painting. The wallpaper is a pale lavender decorated with faintly twinkling stars, and while Sakuma and Genda had a variety of toys ranging from rings to plushes, it seems that Fudou is only interested in sweaters.

Every single item he set out is a sweater, and every last penguin that's visiting his exhibit is dressed up in them. Some lay on their backs, some roll on the ground, and some peck at themselves in an attempt to free themselves from their wool prison.

It's cute, for sure, and Kazemaru feels his lips pull into a fond smile despite himself. But it absolutely does not look like something Fudou, of all people, would decorate his exhibit with.

"Nice," Kazemaru says, handing the phone back to Fudou. "They look happy."

He snatches it out of Kazemaru's hand, resentment clear on his pale face.

"Whatever," he growls. "Just so you know, this exhibit type is the most expensive one the game offers. I only set it to show off how good I am at this game."

Based on what Kazemaru could gather between Sakuma and Genda's interaction earlier, he didn't get the impression that people are able to just look at their friends' exhibits unless they're physically shown the phone screen. But maybe Kazemaru's wrong. It's not like he understands a single thing about Penguin Atsume.

So he takes Fudou's lie at face value and smiles as calmly as he can. "Sure."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Alright."

"Tch. Let's go. I'm starving."

Fudou stomps out of the locker room, grumbling under his breath about privacy and respect. Kazemaru follows close behind, turning off the lights and locking the door behind him. He feels like he understands Fudou a little bit more.

Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was supposed to be a scene where Sakuma says that the exhibit type Fudou chose is the only type where you can see a special penguin named Icchan that looks like a penguin form of Kazemaru. But it was kind of a long scene and I couldn't think of a way to naturally explain if Fudou really did set his exhibit to the Little Twin Stars' inspired one for Icchan, etc. so I just cut it out.


	4. Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oi oi, don't you think you've had too much?" Fudou says, accepting the glass that Kazemaru shoves back at him. "Since you're paying for this, I don't really care, but I thought you have work tomorrow."
> 
> "I already called in sick," Kazemaru says. He hopes he sounds intelligible. "I saw Endou today."
> 
> OR
> 
> Fudou and Kazemaru lick each other's wounds in a world where one's soulmate is predetermined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for: Reference to sex (very minor), Endou/Natsumi (offscreen), Endou <\- Kazemaru, Kidou/Sakuma (offscreen), Kidou <\- Fudou. Fudou & Kazemaru are FWBs.
> 
> Note: Takes place in an alternate version of Inazuma Eleven GO. Therefore, Fudou and Kazemaru are 24 years old here. Even if they're not together romantically, they seem the type who would be really good FWBs.
> 
> As per usual, no beta. We die like Baek Shi-Woo after Red Bison lost to Inazuma Japan.

"How long have you been here?"

Kazemaru looks up from his arms and blinks blearily up at the person next to him at the bar. Despite the fact that they're at one of the fancier restaurants in Tokyo, Fudou's clothes are offensively casual. His cardigan, sweater, and slacks make him look like he's on his way to the convenience store. Even through the haze of alcohol, Kazemaru can see the veiled displeasure in the glance that the bartender shoots Fudou's way.

"You look like shit," Kazemaru says, and he's minutely proud of himself for not slurring over his words despite how much he drank before Fudou arrived.

He doesn't really mean that — Fudou looks annoyingly good, even with his hair messy and outfit uncoordinated — but Fudou seriously needs to start dressing up whenever he comes to meet Kazemaru at the restaurant. He doesn't want to get blacklisted just because Fudou can't be bothered to wear something nicer. He knows for a fact that Fudou has fancy clothing. He was the one who took Fudou shopping for them, after all.

"Thanks, it's not like I cancelled my plans for the rest of the day because I got your text or anything," Fudou says. Kazemaru does not call him out on his lie. Instead, he watches Fudou hail down the bartender. "Whiskey."

To his credit, the bartender doesn't slam the glass down, but there is clear disinterest in his face, and he doesn't give Fudou the smile that he gave Kazemaru earlier when Kazemaru asked for his drinks. As soon as Fudou slides over the generous tip, though, the bartender bows politely and walks away.

"For how fancy this place is, you'd figure the staff here would be less obvious about their greed," Fudou comments as he slams the drink back, wincing at the sharp taste of the alcohol.

"It's been five years," Kazemaru points out. It takes a bit of effort for him to straighten his back and lift his head completely off the cushion of his arms. There's no water nearby but Fudou hands him a water bottle from his bag, and Kazemaru accepts it gratefully. He hopes that the bartender doesn't notice. "They're probably sick of pretending to put up with you."

"Man, and you call yourself the nicest one from Raimon? I hate to see how the others are now."

Kazemaru shakes his head, sipping from the water slowly. The cold chases away the shroud of alcohol and awareness comes back to him, sharpening his mind once more. "I never said that. Endou's the nicest one."

He ignores the prickle of pain at the name, but Fudou's always been observant. He rolls his eyes and snatches the water bottle back from Kazemaru before Kazemaru can stop him. Fudou caps it and places it back into his bag right as the bartender approaches with a glass of iced water and a warning look in Fudou's direction.

"For you, sir," the bartender says as he slides the cup over to Kazemaru.

"Thank you," Kazemaru says, but he does not pick it up.

Fudou drinks in silence until he empties it. He waves a hand to call over the bartender, who tops the glass with whiskey again. Fudou picks it up and swirls it absentmindedly.

"So what happened today?"

He doesn't look over at Kazemaru. His gaze is fixed on the familiar dark amber of the whiskey.

At the question, Kazemaru lowers his face back down onto the counter and sighs, low and heavy. The wood is still warm from earlier, when he attempted to lose consciousness in the middle of a high-end restaurant.

Now that his awareness is no longer as fogged up by alcohol — whether it's due to the water or thanks to Fudou's surprisingly calming presence — he can't believe he invited Fudou out in the middle of the week on such short notice. And for such a silly reason too! Fudou lied about having any plans, but what if he _did_ have something? Knowing Fudou, he wouldn't cancel anything for Kazemaru, which is a comfort in its own way. However, by contacting Fudou and meeting with him outside of their usual weekend rendezvous, the precarious balance that is the cornerstone of their relationship has been disrupted.

What if Fudou gets tired of him and breaks it off? What if Fudou realizes just how high-maintenance Kazemaru is and decides he never wants anything to do with him ever again?

Kazemaru shakes his head before his thoughts could spiral any further. "Sorry," he says, his voice muffled by the cocoon of his arms. "Thank you. It's nothing, really. As a show of apology, I'll pay for all your drinks tonight. You can put it on my tab."

Fudou clicks his tongue, and despite himself, Kazemaru jumps a little. "I don't know what you're thinking in that empty brain of yours, but stop worrying. I'll gladly put everything on your tab though, since you're offering."

"It's fine."

"...You never answered my question. What happened today?"

Kazemaru lifts his head. The bartender must have deemed Kazemaru too drunk for any more alcohol because the glass that held his vodka is empty. The glass of water is untouched but Kazemaru has no intention of talking about the day while sober. He reaches out and snatches the whiskey out of Fudou's loose grip and before Fudou can protest, he throws back the whole glass. It burns the entire way down and immediately, Kazemaru feels a weight in his head, like someone is pushing him down from above.

"Oi oi, don't you think you've had too much?" Fudou says, accepting the glass that Kazemaru shoves back at him. "Since you're paying for this, I don't really care, but I thought you have work tomorrow."

"I already called in sick," Kazemaru says. He hopes he sounds intelligible. "I saw Endou today."

"Ah..."

"He was with Natsumi."

"Damn. I don't suppose I need to ask if you're okay."

 _I'm fine,_ Kazemaru wants to say, but the only thing that comes out is a shaky breath. He rubs his burning eyes against the sleeve of his shirt, only for Fudou to stop him with a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, let's get you to bed before you pass out here," Fudou says, sounding uncharacteristically gentle. "Hey, excuse me, could you..."

Before Fudou can finish whatever he's saying to the bartender, Kazemaru closes his eyes and allows the world to fade to black.

* * *

The weight in his head is heavier than ever, and it seems that the pressure as evolved, expanding its territory to his chest as well. It takes a herculean effort for Kazemaru to crack open his eyes, but he manages to do so. The sight that greets him makes him wish he remained asleep.

Fudou is leaning over him, his arms on either side of Kazemaru's head. He must have carried Kazemaru all the way from the restaurant to the usual hotel, but there is no sign of strain or exhaustion on his face.

"You're stronger now," Kazemaru says, and Fudou snorts.

"Sure," he replies. "You're skinny enough as it is. Eat more. Unless you want your weakass shoots to become even worse."

"I'm a defender. What's the point of making my shoots better."

"If you're a defender, then stand in front of the goal. I've never seen a defender run as much as you do."

He has a point but Kazemaru refuses to concede to him. The self-satisfied smirk on Fudou's face whenever Kazemaru agrees with him is one of the most infuriating sights in the world. He smacks at Fudou's arm and when Fudou lifts it, Kazemaru rolls to the side, leaving ample room for Fudou to lay down as well.

"You feel sick at all? I'm not gonna sleep here if you're gonna throw up on me," Fudou says. Despite his words, he throws himself onto the mattress, resting his head on the pillow. His brown hair spills over the edge and he bats at it irritably. Kazemaru hopes that Fudou doesn't return to his haircut from middle school just because he's sick of his hair getting in his face. 

Kazemaru shakes his head. His head still feels like it's filled with cotton but there's no nausea. He is, unfortunately, more than aware of his surroundings.

"I chose a room with a view this time," Fudou says. He jerks his chin towards the window and when Kazemaru languidly raises his head to look in that direction, he's greeted by the sight of Tokyo's cityscape.

Lights from buildings and windows twinkle and wink, like a miniature galaxy on Earth. If Kazemaru's cellphone had a better camera, he might have taken a picture to send to Fubuki and Hiroto, but the last time Kazemaru tried to take a picture from the hotel, all that was captured was a blurry photo of his and Fudou's reflections.

It's still early — a quick glance at the digital clock on the bedside table reveals that it's not even ten at night yet — and the world outside must be loud, with the honking of horns and laughter of pedestrians. But, despite the clear view of the city, the room is quiet. Only his and Fudou's soft breathing echo in the silence.

"There's a box of condoms in the drawer on your side of the bed," Fudou says. He buries his face into the crook of Kazemaru's shoulder, pressing a soft kiss against the dark mark on his back.

The picture is forever incomplete. The other half that Endou was supposed to share with Kazemaru graces Natsumi's body instead, and though Kazemaru has not seen Endou's soul mark ever since they graduated, he knows that if he were to pull down Endou's shirt, he would see the complete picture of a lightning bolt on his collarbone.

He can feel the weight of Fudou's expectant gaze on his back, as well as the very real heaviness of Fudou's arm slinking around his waist, so Kazemaru reaches out and tugs open the drawer, fishing out a single condom from inside. He tosses it behind him without looking and hears the plastic slap against skin.

"Hey," Fudou gripes. He doesn't pull away to grab it, simply letting the condom slide down his face in between the two of them.

The sharp edges of the plastic prickle against the back of Kazemaru's neck, not too dissimilar from when Fudou nibbles in the exact same spot. A shiver crawls down Kazemaru's spine at the memory and he turns around, kicking at the blankets when they tangle around his leg. Fudou lifts his arm from around Kazemaru to make it easier and grabs the condom so it doesn't hit Kazemaru in the nose. He tosses it carelessly above them, where it lands safely on the sheets instead of dropping into the crack between the mattress and the headboard. 

He reaches out and slides a hand under Fudou's shirt, brushing the tips of his fingers against his stomach. Thanks to the lingering effects of the alcohol, his extremities are a little colder than usual, and Fudou shivers slightly under his ministrations.

"Tsk, don't be such a baby," Fudou says. Instead of dislodging Kazemaru's hand, he grabs the blanket and tucks Kazemaru in.

"It's not like we'll need the blanket in a bit," Kazemaru says with a pointed look at the condom.

"Shut up," Fudou says.

Kazemaru doesn't lift Fudou's shirt but he knows his fingers are tracing Fudou's soul mark with perfect precision. The feather next to Fudou's belly button will, similar to the lightning bolt on Kazemaru's back, never be fully complete, even though Kidou and Sakuma's are.

If God truly exists in the world, then He is a cruel one.

"Do you sometimes wish I was your soulmate?" Kazemaru asks.

It's something that's been on his mind for a while. He doesn't know how it feels to complete one's soul mark. He doesn't know how it feels to kiss or connect with his soulmate. Endou undoubtedly never viewed Kazemaru as anything other than a friend. Even from the beginning, his eyes chased after Aki, Gouenji, Fubuki, Natsumi ... but never Kazemaru.

Around Fudou, though, the rough edges of his heart feel smoother. The coldness is held at bay, like the warmth of the sun on a winter's day. It's none of his business, but sometimes he wishes he could ask Kidou why he chose Sakuma instead. Why Sakuma and not someone like Fudou.

If Fudou was his soulmate, then Kazemaru would be the luckiest man on Earth.

"I do," he says softly, looking down. Inside of Fudou's shirt, he clenches his hand, forming a fist.

Much to his relief, Fudou doesn't take offence to the comment.

"I don't," Fudou says, and when Kazemaru looks up to ask why, his words are swallowed by Fudou pressing their mouths together.

Kazemaru rolls onto his back, dislodging his hand from Fudou's stomach, and Fudou wastes no time in following after him, crowding him onto the bed and snaking a hand under Kazemaru to stroke a finger down his back. The lightning bolt burns on Kazemaru's skin and for a second, he can trick himself into thinking that the mark is complete.

**Author's Note:**

> My Twitter is [wafumayo](http://twitter.com/wafumayo) and my Tumblr is [surelynotshirley](http://surelynotshirley.tumblr.com)


End file.
